To a large extent, risks which drivers undertake while driving the vehicles and vehicles' fuel consumption, are attributed to a large extent to the drivers' performance which may be influenced by many factors, e.g. their experience (or to be more precise their lack of experience) or their physical current driving condition (tiredness, driving under influence of alcohol, etc.). When investigating every case on its merits, one may easily note that drivers are the crucial factor for a large number of the accidents. Nevertheless, it is a well-known fact that some roads are more dangerous than others due to various factors such as infrastructure, road design, road signs, weather, traffic density and the like. Other roads' characteristics attribute to high fuel consumption due to usual congestion conditions and other road design problems.
There are quite a few prior art publications that describe systems and methods for providing the drivers with alerts that relate to hazards that exist along the path they are driving.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,430 describes a system for transmitting messages, such as safety hazard warning messages, to be provided to drivers with message capable radar receivers. The signal is modulated in such a way that conventional radar detectors do not reject the signal but cause an alert to be generated, indicating to the driver the need to reduce vehicle speed to accommodate upcoming road conditions or obstacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,601 discloses a laser transmitter that is configured to transmit a laser beam at an object, and a laser receiver configured to receive a reflection of the laser beam. A speed sensor is connected to a vehicle speedometer system and receives vehicle speed information. A processing unit receives laser pulse data from the laser receiver and road condition data from a road condition switch, and the vehicle speed information from the speed sensor. The processing unit calculates a relative speed of the object with respect to the vehicle, a distance from the object to the vehicle, and a relative acceleration of the object with respect to the vehicle. The processing unit further calculates a safe following distance based on the road condition data and the vehicle speed information, and compares the safe following distance to the actual distance from the object to the vehicle. The processing unit further calculates a collision time based on the relative speed of the object, the distance from the object to the vehicle, and the relative acceleration of the object. The collision time is displayed on a collision time display. A linear light display indicates the relative level of safety or danger based on following distance and collision time.
US 2003090392 describes a device for issuing of a hazard warning to the driver of a motor vehicle with a data transmission device for transmitting and receiving data. The data transmission device exchanges data with data transmission devices of other vehicles and emitting data to warn other vehicles of hazards as well as evaluates the received data and outputting warning signals to the driver when a hazard is detected.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,743 discloses an automatic driver aid system for a vehicle which includes means to alert the driver of approaching conditions and regulations requiring his caution, such as stop signs, school caution zones, dangerous intersections, etc., and means to warn the driver upon violation of certain traffic regulations such as speed limits, emergencies, etc.
US 2009002193 describes devices and methods for alerting a driver that a potential hazard is in the vicinity of the driver's vehicle. In general, activation signals transmitted from a vehicle are received at a potential hazard, and hazard signals are, in response, transmitted from the potential hazard to the vehicle. The hazard signals provide an indication of the potential hazard to the driver so that he may be aware of the potential hazard and react accordingly. The hazard signals may also include one or more characteristics of the potential hazard to provide more information about the potential hazard to the driver, such as the type of potential hazard and/or the degree of danger associated with the potential hazard.
The above publications as well as others, aim to provide the driver with alerts that relate to known hazardous road conditions along the road which he/she is currently driving. However, these solutions are not sufficient, as none of the prior art publications offer adequate solutions that take into account that the service level as defined hereinafter. The solution provided by the present invention seeks to overcome this gap.